Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Government Departments: Languages

Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to extend participation in the cross-Whitehall language focus group to more government departments.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The cross-Whitehall Language group was re-launched on 10 November and we are keen to include other government departments who have an interest in, or need for, foreign language skills.

Israel: Palestinians

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by Unicef in February 2013 Children in Israeli Military Detention, what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the arrest and interrogation of Palestinian children without a lawyer or family member present.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised this issue with the Israeli authorities on 10 October. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), also raised the wider issue of Palestinian minors in detention with the Israeli Ambassador to London on 10 November. The treatment of Palestinian children in Israeli military detention remains a human rights priority for the UK. We remain committed to working with the Israeli authorities to encourage further changes in practice.

Bahrain: Human Rights

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Amnesty International report concerning Bahrain Window-dressing or Pioneers of Change, published in November, in the light of the UK's connection with, and aid to, Bahrain; and what assessment they have made of the report's recommendations to the Bahrain authorities including the Ombudsman of the Ministry of the Interior and the Special Investigation Unit.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) received a copy of the report from Amnesty International on Monday 21 November. We note that they have made a series of recommendations to the UK Government which we will look at closely.The FCO undertakes a number of projects to assist our Bahraini partners including with the Ministry of Interior's Ombudsman and the Special Investigations Unit. We believe that the UK support to Bahrain's reform programme is the most constructive way to achieve long lasting and sustainable reform in Bahrain. While it will take time to see the full results, UK support is having a direct, positive impact on areas of concern.

Saudi Arabia: Capital Punishment

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 21 November (HL3058) concerning the selling of arms to Saudi Arabia, and in the light of reports of torture to extract confessions from those who have been given a death sentence in Saudi Arabia, what specific action they will take.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government is firmly opposed to the death penalty.Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign & Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the use of the death penalty, limited access to justice, women's rights issues and restrictions on freedom of expression, freedom of assembly and freedom of religion or belief.We have raised our concerns with the Saudi authorities and our Ambassador in Riyadh continues to make representations on the UK Government's behalf.

Zimbabwe: Human Rights

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of Zimbabwean citizens by the government of Zimbabwe.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In recent weeks we have noted with increasing concern the heavy-handed response of the authorities to peaceful and lawful demonstrators, and violence against opposition parties and social activists. We regularly call upon the Zimbabwean Government to end human rights abuses and restore internationally accepted standards. On 18 November our Ambassador and EU Heads of Mission in Harare issued a statement expressing concern at the increase in incidents, in violation of the fundamental human rights and freedoms enshrined in Chapter 4 of the Constitution.

Syria: Armed Conflict

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the identity of those responsible for the death of 10 people, including children, during the bombing of a school in western Aleppo in the third week of November.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of reports from pro-regime media outlets of the shelling of a school in al-Furqan (regime-controlled western Aleppo) on 20 November, which resulted in 10 casualties. The attack was alleged to be the responsibility of armed opposition groups. We watched the opposition offensive in western Aleppo closely, and we deplore any breaches of international humanitarian law (IHL) by all parties. We continue to underline to opposition groups over whom we have an influence that any operations must be conducted within the bounds of IHL. The plight of civilians in Aleppo is desperate. The vast majority of atrocities are perpetrated by the regime – it is only the regime and its backers who have the capacity to conduct air strikes, which result in extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and cost civilian lives. 275,000 people face potential mass starvation in east Aleppo, besieged and under daily bombardment by the regime.

Malawi: Prosperity Fund

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office spent £30,000 from the Prosperity Fund on a project supporting the government of Malawi in developing the country’s oil and gas sector; and how they intend to ensure that future spending from the Prosperity Fund in Malawi meets the stated aim of promoting economic reform and development.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is supporting a £28,000 needs assessment, through its Bilateral Programme Fund, on the prospects for oil and gas exploration in Malawi. This will highlight the potential environmental impact as well as the various economic, legislative, social and political factors. Any decision on the potential future exploitation of oil and gas reserves will be for the Government of Malawi to decide. All parties, including the Department for International Development and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, want to ensure that any exploration is done in a sustainable and environmentally friendly way. Exploring such opportunities will help eradicate poverty, create jobs, increase revenue and reduce dependency on aid. This, and any future UK Government spending, will be firmly in the interests of Malawi.

Burma: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of recent events in Rakhine State, when the UK's Ambassador in Burma last discussed with the new administration there the opening of a full country office for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Ambassador last raised the opening of a country office for the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in August.

Department for International Development

UNRWA: Finance

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the statement by the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to the second bi-annual UNRWA Advisory Commission meeting for 2016 held in Amman, stressing the case for UNWRA to be placed on a more stable financial footing.

Lord Bates: The UK is a long-term supporter of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), providing over £60 million in 2015/16 in Gaza, the West Bank and the region. We regularly discuss with UNRWA how it can resolve its financial situation. As a major donor, we encourage UNRWA to implement reforms to put it on a more sustainable financial footing and we press for other donor contributions.

Malawi: Overseas Aid

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to ensure the improvement of lives of the poorest in Malawi, and especially persons in vulnerable categories such as women and children.

Lord Bates: In line with the Government’s manifesto commitments, we are supporting over 70,000 girls in Malawi this year to receive an education, we will have saved 6,000 women’s lives from childbirth related deaths by 2018, and we are providing support in food security, agriculture and economic development, so that those most in need have an opportunity to escape poverty. Furthermore, the UK has been working with the police, lower level courts and community based organisations to increase access to justice and improve safety and security at the community level for 400,000 women.During his recent visit, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, James Wharton MP, lobbied the Government of Malawi to ensure that reforms are delivered to maximise the impact of UKAid on the vulnerable, including maize market reform so that poor families have access to affordable food. He also announced additional UK humanitarian support for over 750,000 vulnerable people.

Developing Countries: Females

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the mainstreaming of gender-related issues within the Department for International Development has been successful; what priority is given to it; what funding and how many officials are specifically dedicated to working on it; and what assessment they have made of whether it can be used as a successful model for the mainstreaming of support for minorities suffering persecution on grounds of freedom of religion or belief.

Lord Bates: The UK is recognised as a global leader on promoting the rights of girls and women and DFID reviews progress on gender equality in the Annual Report. DFID’s Strategic Vision on Girls and Women has put gender equality at the heart of UK Aid, and the Department is successfully implementing the 2014 Gender Equality Act.Best practice and lessons learned are regularly shared across DFID by the Gender Equality team, including with those working on support for people facing persecution on grounds of freedom of religion or belief.

Department for Education

Oxford University: Antisemitism

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 17 November (HL2972), whether they will ask the Higher Education Funding Council for England, in its role as regulator, to engage with the University of Oxford to ensure that their policies and procedures were implemented appropriately following reports of anti-Semitic incidents involving students which led to the resignation of a student club chairman in February.

Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government condemns antisemitism wherever it occurs, including on university campuses. Universities and student societies need to be robust in tackling these kinds of issues. Universities are autonomous and have processes for dealing with concerns and complaints where they are raised, unless there are regulatory issues to be addressed.The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) holds ongoing discussions (both formal and informal) with institutions, including the University of Oxford, on a regular basis. As the regulator, HEFCE has established procedures for following on up concerns raised about universities. No concerns have been raised with HEFCE about the implementation by the University of Oxford of its policies and procedures on this issue.

Pre-school Education: Census

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will be collecting data on birthplace and nationality for the early years census in January 2017; and if not, whether relevant regulations will be amended accordingly.

Lord Nash: At this time, we are not extending the collection of country of birth and nationality data to the early years census. Therefore, there are currently no amendments required to the relevant regulations underpinning the early years census.

Department for Work and Pensions

Personal Independence Payment

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Personal Independence Payment mobility assessors are entitled to carry out a walking distance test of claimants.

Lord Freud: The Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide highlights that any examination should be tailored to the individual claimant. There is no specific guidance on walking tests as this does not form part of a routine PIP assessment.

Personal Independence Payment

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the current guidance on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) mobility tests allows PIP assessors to take account of a claimant's means of arrival at the assessment centre when deciding on the distance that the claimant can walk.

Lord Freud: The Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) highlights that any examination should be tailored to the individual claimant. There is no specific guidance on taking account of a claimant’s means of arrival at the assessment centre as this does not form part of a routine PIP assessment. The PIPAG is clear that the health professional should explore how the claimant manages their mobility needs on a “typical day”, which might include the day of the assessment, and should explore both “good” and “bad” days.

Home Office

Visas: Overseas Students

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 November (HL3024), whether they will now answer the first part of the question asked: whether nationality or country of origin is a factor taken into account to assess the potential level of risk that an international student applying for a visa might pose.

Lord Harris of Haringey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 November (HL3024) about international students applying for a visa to study in the UK, whether they will now answer the last part of the question asked: whether an equality impact assessment has been carried out.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: A range of different factors and attributes are taken into account to assess the potential level of risk that an international student applying for a visa might pose to the UK border. In considering the entire Tier 4 visa application, an individual’s nationality can be a factor in assessing the level of the risk.A Policy Equality Statement was undertaken to accompany the new provision under the Immigration Rules from 30 July 2012, for an Entry Clearance Officer to be satisfied that an applicant is a genuine student before granting entry clearance under Tier 4.

Refugees: Homelessness

Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 1 November (HL Deb, col 540), what initiatives are available to prevent homelessness amongst the refugee community.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Asylum seekers who would otherwise be destitute are supported by the Home Office. If they are granted refugee status this support ends 28 days later because they are given permission to work and can apply for any welfare benefits and local authority housing assistance for which they may be eligible.We are working closely with the Department for Work and Pensions and others to ensure that newly recognised refugees engage promptly with Jobcentre Plus and the local authority about these matters. Other refugees brought to the UK from abroad under our various resettlement schemes move into accommodation already arranged for them.

Refugees: Children

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, of unaccompanied refugee children in France and elsewhere in Europe, they have excluded certain age groups and countries of origin from consideration for asylum in the UK.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: Our criteria under section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016 is intended to ensure that we are focusing on the most vulnerable children.In France, we will be considering those aged 12 and under of any nationality, children referred to us by the French authorities as being at a high risk of sexual exploitation of any nationality, and those nationalities most likely to qualify for refugee status in the UK, aged 15 and below.All unaccompanied minors with close family in the UK will continue to be considered for transfer under the Dublin Regulation, regardless of age or nationality.

Cybercrime

Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the cost of consolidating existing criminal law relating to digital and cyber crime.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office has not carried out any estimates on the cost of consolidating these aspects of criminal law.

HM Treasury

Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been claimed under the Small Charitable Donations Act 2012 in each year since 2013.

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost to HM Revenue and Customs of administering the Small Charitable Donations Act 2012 in each year since 2013.

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many instances of malpractice associated with the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme have been recorded since 2013.

Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what ways HM Revenue and Customs promotes the Small Charitable Donations Scheme to small charities.

Lord Young of Cookham: The Government maintains close and constructive links with charity sector representatives and is in regular dialogue with the sector. HM Revenue and Customs has set up an outreach team which is particularly focused on responding to the needs of smaller charities.This team regularly makes visits to small charities and has provided face-to-face presentations to over 650, raising awareness and helping charities to receive support through the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme, as well as the full range of available tax reliefs to which they are entitled. Amounts claimed under the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme since 2013 are £6 million in 2013/14, £21 million in 2014/15 and £26 million in 2015/16. Figures for 2016/17 are not currently available. The costs of administering the Gift Aid Small Donations Scheme and instances of malpractice are not available as they are included in the figures for the wider Gift Aid scheme, and cannot be separately extracted.